[The issue of irresponsibility or mitigation of criminal responsibility]

In France, perpetrators of criminal offenses who have one or more mental or neuropsychiatric disorders at the time of the alleged offense may be found criminally irresponsible or have their criminal responsibility mitigated. In the first case, they are not tried in criminal court and are treated in a psychiatric facility. In the second case, they are tried and a reduction in sentence is applicable according to certain criteria. In order to inform the courts, pre-sentence psychiatric and psychological assessments are systematic in criminal cases.